On the evening of December 7, 2025, Vietnam-Korea University of Information and Communication Technology (VKU), the University of Danang, was honored and proud to announce that its outstanding student team and young lecturers received the prestigious 2025 “Creative Youth” Award presented by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee. This year, the Award recognized 43 outstanding projects, solutions, and innovative products selected from 204 nominations submitted by Youth Unions across 31 provinces and cities nationwide. VKU is proud to contribute one standout solution. The award is among the most respected recognitions for innovative research conducted by Vietnamese youth, honoring meaningful, practical, and inspiring contributions to the community. This remarkable achievement once again affirms the strong research capabilities of VKU students and highlights the University’s pioneering position in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Information Security, and national innovation.

The authors and the award-winning project: “ShieldNet – A Multi-Layered AI System for Cybersecurity Support and Protection”

The award was presented to the project “ShieldNet – A Multi-Layer AI System for Cybersecurity Support and Protection”, led by Dr. Nguyen Huu Nhat Minh (Deputy Head of the Department of Science, Technology and International Cooperation), together with talented students Truong The Quoc Dung, Ton That Ron, Phung Anh Sang (21GIT), and Tran Viet Gia Bao (22GBA). The project was developed at VKU’s Digital Science and Technology Institute (eSTI), with technical guidance from AI experts and strong collaboration from the Vietnam Internet Center (VNNIC). This foundation enabled the team to build a highly applicable solution that addresses the urgent need to protect users from increasingly sophisticated online threats.

The project “ShieldNet – A Multi-Layer AI System for Cybersecurity Support and Protection”, led by Dr. Nguyen Huu Nhat Minh (Deputy Head of the Department of Science, Technology and International Cooperation), together with talented students Truong The Quoc Dung, Ton That Ron, Phung Anh Sang (21GIT), and Tran Viet Gia Bao (22GBA), was selected as one of the 43 outstanding innovative projects, solutions, and products chosen from 204 nominations submitted by Youth Unions across 31 provinces and cities nationwide

ShieldNet has been under research since early 2024 and was piloted in real-world conditions at VNNIC in late 2024. The system utilizes a multi-layered AI model and a deep analysis mechanism to automatically, quickly, and explainably detect and assess the trustworthiness of websites and domain names. In the context of the rapid rise of phishing, impersonation, and online gambling websites, which cause significant harm to users and overwhelm manual monitoring efforts, ShieldNet serves as an essential solution that enhances Vietnam’s cybersecurity defense capacity. With an analysis time of under 15 seconds per domain, the system reduces processing time by up to four times, eases manpower demands, and improves accuracy compared to traditional methods.

One of the project’s key highlights is the integration of deep learning and natural language processing, combined with multi-source analysis such as domain structure, semantics, metadata, and website content. The team built a large dataset consisting of more than 55,000 verified domain names, thousands of metadata entries, and a whitelist of reputable brands to support effective model training. During real-world evaluations, the system demonstrated strong detection capability, achieving 93% accuracy for malicious domains and 100% accuracy for high-risk domains. These results affirm that ShieldNet is not only a research product but also a practical, high-impact solution that helps protect Vietnamese Internet users and supports regulators in making timely and well-informed decisions.

Some key achievements of the research team behind the Project “ShieldNet – A Multi-Layer AI System for Cybersecurity Support and Protection”

In addition to its practical impact, the project has brought significant achievements in both academic research and technological entrepreneurship. The research team published two papers at reputable international conferences such as ATC 2024 and CITA 2025, and continuously earned major awards including: Second Prize at the Microsoft Imagine Cup Central Region 2025, Third Prize at the VietFuture Awards 2025, First Prize at the InTE 2025 Technology Startup Competition of the University of Danang, and a position in the Top 10 Vietnam AI Stars 2025, along with several other scientific research awards. These accomplishments demonstrate that VKU students are not only academically competent but also confident, creative, and leading contributors in intellectual and innovation-driven competitions for young people.

The success of ShieldNet is a clear testament to VKU’s strategy of building a modern research environment, where students work alongside experts, engage with industry partners, and grow within a comprehensive innovation ecosystem. The strong collaboration with VNNIC further demonstrates the University’s commitment to applying research to real-world practice and addressing major challenges faced by society and the information and communication technology sector.

The 2025 “Creative Youth” Award is a source of pride for the research team and a shared joy for the entire VKU community. This achievement reaffirms the pioneering spirit, creativity, and dedication of VKU students in contributing to a safer, healthier, and more sustainable cyberspace for Vietnam. The University firmly believes that with a solid foundation of knowledge, a powerful spirit of innovation, and a modern research environment, VKU students will continue to shine and contribute even more to the community, the nation, and the future world of technology.

Center for Learning Resource and Communication

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